Alkylation reactions are acid catalyzed reactions in which an alkyl group is incorporated into an organic molecule. The alkylated organic molecules, or alkylates, resulting from the reaction may be used as octane number enhancing components for gasoline or in detergent formulations.
A widely used catalyst in alkylation reactions is hydrogen fluoride. Hydrogen fluoride is advantageous in that its chemical stability makes it suitable for use over a wide range of conditions. However, hydrogen fluoride is disadvantageous in that it is a volatile substance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,674 discloses a method for decreasing hydrogen fluoride volatility by using complexes of ammonia or amine polyhydrogen fluoride. This method is undesirable due to the toxicity of the complexes. Thus, a need exists for a hydrogen fluoride alkylation catalyst that overcomes the disadvantages of both pure hydrogen fluoride and the prior art complexes.